Roberto Bussinello

This Tuscan automotive engineer started racing an Alfa Romeo Sprint Veloce in 1958. Roberto Bussinello switched to Formula Junior for the following season, when his Stanguellini-Fiat won at Monza and Casenático, before joining De Tomaso’s R&D Department as a test driver. He was entered for Modena’s Formula 2 race in 1960 but Bussinello crashed his De Tomaso-Alfa Romeo in practice and did not start.

Formula 1 with De Tomaso and Scuderia Centro Sud

He drove a De Tomaso in selected minor Formula 1 events during 1961 with fifth at Naples and fourth at Vallelunga his best results. Bussinello also made his world championship debut in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza that September. Starting from 24th on the grid, his Conrero-developed Alfa Romeo engine blew up after just one lap.

Bussinello took an engineering post with Alfa Romeo in 1963 and he began racing for that marque in sports cars and the European Touring Car Championship. He drove a Scuderia Sant Ambroeus-entered Giulia TZ during 1964 – finishing third overall in the Targa Florio with Nino Todaro as his co-driver. He then took a Giulia TI touring car to Australia that winter and beat local hero Bob Jane at Sandown Park.

The Italian returned to single-seaters in 1965 with Scuderia Centro Sud’s BRM P57 in non-championship events at Syracuse and Silverstone. He also planned to race in two F1 World Championship events that year but was refused an entry for the German GP and retired in Italy. Bussinello continued in the ETCC and finished second at Monza in 1965.

His Alfa Romeo TZ2 led its class on the Targa Florio before Todaro crashed and Bussinello was eliminated from that year’s Le Mans 24 Hours in the 18th hour. Fifth in the 1967 Nürburgring 1000Kms was his last result of note but Bussinello continued to work as an engineer for the likes of Alfa Romeo and Herbert Müller long after he stopped racing.